Post-Graduation Magic
by hoffkk
Summary: Shawn catches Maya and Josh sharing an intimate moment after her graduation ceremony, and decides to have a little fun with them at dinner afterward, leading to some family drama, good and bad.


Shawn Hunter couldn't believe a lot of things in his life right now. He couldn't believe he was happily married to someone as wonderful as Katy Hart, and he couldn't believe they were expecting a child to be born in just a few weeks. He also couldn't believe that Maya was actually his daughter and that she and Riley were now officially high school graduates. Shawn's heart swelled with pride in himself and his family for coming so far in life.

The graduation ceremony had just ended, and as all the parents and other relatives were leaving the auditorium to congratulate their respective graduates, Shawn slipped away to hit the men's room. On his way back, he took a wrong turn and stumbled upon one more thing he couldn't believe. About ten feet in front of him, Shawn saw Maya, clad in cap and gown, with her arms wrapped around some guy's neck as she made out with him. His eyes widened and mouth popped open as he took in the unexpected sight. Shawn couldn't see the guy's face, but he was wearing a navy blue beanie, a beanie that he would recognize anywhere.

Joshua Matthews. Maya was kissing Joshua Matthews.

Shawn didn't know what to do or say, so he just calmly and quietly made his way back around the corner, walking until he found another way back to the auditorium entrance. Shawn ran a hand through his hair as he walked, smirking a bit as he thought back to what he just witnessed. Maya had had a crush on him years ago and Josh had always kept his distance. Truthfully, Josh's responses to Maya's blatant feelings for him were quite comical. Who would've thought that those two would end up getting together?

Hands in his pockets and a giant grin on his face, he made his way over to Katy, who was rubbing circles on her protruding belly. She was huge and still had a month to go. The sight of her just made Shawn's smile grow bigger.

"There you are. What took you so long?" Katy questioned.

"Oh...nothing." Shawn said, voice dripping with amusement. "Just got a little lost... no worries." He finished, tossing an arm around his wife's back.

"O-kay." Katy said slowly, announcing each syllable and quirking a brow to show her skepticism, though her tone indicated she was slightly amused.

Just then, Maya and Riley emerged through the crowd to greet their families and Katy forgot all about Shawn and how suspicious he was acting.

Shawn wanted to tell Katy about what he saw just moments ago, but he figured he would let Maya tell her when she was ready. After all, boys and kissing were total mother-daughter territory.

Suddenly, Shawn caught Josh and Maya sharing a look, and thought it couldn't hurt to have a little fun.

After everyone finished congratulating the girls, Shawn spoke up.

"Alright, let's get out of here. Dinner is on me."

About 30 minutes later, the Matthews and Hunter-Hart families, plus Riley's boyfriend Lucas and her Uncle Josh, were all seated around the table at a nearby, family-friendly, Italian restaurant called Graziano's. A perky, blonde waitress had just brought out their drink orders and then left again to go put in their food orders when Shawn turned his torso slightly to the right and began conversing with Josh, purposefully speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

"So, Josh... you seeing anyone these days?" Shawn asked, feigning innocence.

"Uh..." Josh hesitated a moment as his eyes flicked over to Maya who sat across the table from him . During their little rendezvous after the graduation ceremony, they officially became an item, but Maya wanted to keep it on the down-low for now. Careful not to linger on Maya for more than a second or two, he glanced back at Shawn, reluctantly responding, "No, not really." Josh looked quickly to Maya once more to make sure his response was adequate, but she just looked indifferent.

A smile began to form on Shawn's lips at Josh's vague response, but he managed to cover it by taking a sip from his glass of water. As he placed it back down on the cardboard coaster in front of him, he noticed that their waitress was a few feet behind Maya, clearing off a table that sat diagonal from theirs. Nodding his head towards the waitress, and essentially at Maya as well, he remarked, "What about her?"

Josh was mid-drink when Shawn spoke, and, as his eyes followed the direction of his head nod, Josh couldn't help but choke on his water. Did Shawn really just suggest that he date Maya? With a furrowed brow, he stared at Shawn, feeling completely confused.

"Her?" Josh questioned.

Shawn smirked, getting the reaction he had been hoping for.

"The waitress..." He elaborated. "She's cute and seems very nice."

"Yeah, I guess, but-" Josh started, but didn't get to finish before Shawn cut him off.

"And I know you have a thing for _blondes_." Shawn winked, letting the double meaning hang in the air.

"Okay, that's enough." Maya finally chimed in, trying to sound indifferent on the subject yet put an end to it. "Stop trying to play cupid. Josh is a big boy. He can make his own decisions."

"I don't know about that. I think the jury is still out on his taste in women." Cory tossed in, teasing his little brother about the motley crew of ex-girlfriends he has compiled over the past couple of years, none of which lasted more than a week or so.

"Hey, it's not that bad." Josh defended.

"I have to agree with dad on this one." Riley interjected. "I mean, first there was Bridgette the brainiac who talked a mile a minute, then Leah the overly-intense lacrosse player, Gretchen the glutton, timid Tara, oh and my personal favorite, Victoria the vocalist who broke out into song every five seconds." Riley counted them off on her fingers as she made her mental list of Josh's exes.

"You forgot the dancer." Topanga noted.

"And that vegetarian girl." Lucas added with a small smile at Josh's expense.

"Okay, so I've had a lot of girlfriends." Josh stated matter-of-factly. "That doesn't mean I have bad taste."

"Do I _really_ need to list all of those descriptions again?" Riley asked teasingly.

"I think Josh has great taste." Maya said sweetly before she could stop herself. Josh smiled at her sentiment while everyone else gave her puzzling looks. Realizing her error, she hastily added, "I mean, uh, yeah-whatever-hi-I don't care."

"Okaaaay." Cory said after a slight pause, humoring his daughter's best friend, and then changed the subject. "How 'bout a toast?" He asked rhetorically, raising his glass before continuing on. "To the graduates... only one of you is related to me by blood, and yet I consider all three of you my family. I taught you guys for years and watched you all learn and grow, and I am so proud of what you have accomplished and of the people you have become."

"We all are." Topanga smiled, lifting her glass.

"And we can't wait to see what the future holds for each one of you." Katy stated, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"Because we know that you all are gonna do great things." Shawn joined in.

"So, here's to the graduates and their graduation... it's not an end, but a new beginning. So, believe in yourselves, dream, try, and do good." Cory finished, quoting some wise words from his old mentor.

"Here, here." Topanga cheered.

"Here, here." The group echoed as they clinked glasses in celebration.

There was a minor lull in the conversation as they all sipped on their drinks, but, once again, Shawn took it upon himself to break the silence.

"Ah, yes, graduation..." Shawn leaned back in his chair and smiled mischievously. "Magical things seem to happen after those ceremonies." His eyes quickly went back and forth between Maya and Josh to see their reaction to his statement. Maya was biting her lip nervously, while she stirred her lemonade aimlessly with her straw, and Josh just adjusted the beanie on his head apprehensively. Both were trying, and failing, to avoid each other's gaze, and both had cheeks redder than Graziano's homemade tomato sauce. Shawn was tickled with himself, and wanted to press further, but he didn't have time before a curious Riley inserted herself into the conversation once more.

"What do you mean? Like, going to college and finding yourself and stuff?" Riley inquired.

"Well, yeah..." Shawn acquiesced. "But not just that. For instance, right after our graduation, your mom proposed to your dad."

"Really?" Riley asked, voice coated in disbelief, as her gaze moved back and forth between her parents. Topanga just smiled, while a pained look crossed Cory's face.

"Why would you tell her that, Shawn?! Huh? Why?" Cory yelled comically.

"Oh, come on, Cor, it's not like she is gonna go run off and marry Lucas now just because-" Shawn stopped midsentence, when he noticed Riley and Lucas, sitting there next to each other, arm in arm, with excited smiles plastered across their faces. "Oh, boy." He muttered.

"No," Cory barked. "no, no, no, no, NO!"

While Topanga tried to calm her husband, Shawn decided it was time to change the subject, and said, "So, as I was saying..."

Everyone pretty much ignored him, and was still watching Cory's little outburst when Lucas said the unthinkable.

"Don't worry, Mr. Matthews, I love your daughter, but I'm not proposing to her... " Lucas returned his smile to Riley, stroking her chin with his thumb as he uttered, "yet."

Everyone was rendered speechless at his comment and just sat there open mouthed. Shawn saw that Cory was about to explode, and that Riley was two seconds away from shouting one of her ridiculous yays, so before things could go from bad to worse, Shawn shouted abruptly, "Josh kissed Maya!"

"WHAT?" Everyone, but Shawn, Maya, and Josh yelled in unison as they turned to look at the couple in question. It occurred to Shawn just then that this topic may not be that much better than the last, but at least Cory appeared confused now rather than angry. It was a step in the right direction, a small step, but a step nonetheless.

"And when did this happen, exactly, baby girl?" Katy asked her daughter as she crossed her arms over her baby belly, amusement apparent in her voice.

"Right after the graduation ceremony..." Maya trailed off, brushing some hair behind her ear nervously. She wasn't sure how everyone would react, if they would all accept it. That's why she didn't want to tell people right away, not that she even knew what their relationship was at the moment. Regardless, she just wanted to keep this little slice of happiness to herself and enjoy it for as long as possible. Looks like that time was up, and a lot sooner than she thought.

"Like I said, graduation is magic." Shawn commented with a chuckle.

"And you knew about this? How?" Katy queried, quirking a blonde brow at her husband.

"Yeah, how _did_ you know?" Josh wondered as well.

"Guys, I have a trained eye for detail. I notice things, not to mention, I am very street smart. It's a skill I have used and refined since my trailer park days and..."

"You saw us, didn't you?" Maya questioned dryly, fairly certain of the answer.

"Yeah, I did." Shawn gave in easily, admitting the truth.

The whole group chuckled at Shawn's response, then Riley let her curiosity get the better of her once again.

"So, this kiss... was it _just_ a kiss or-"

"We're dating." Josh said simply before he even realized what he had said. It just seemed so natural to say and, to be honest, he liked the way it sounded. So, he just smiled his boyish grin at Maya, hoping his answer satisfied her, and judging by her beaming face, it did. The look she gave him made his heart swell and encouraged him to continue his thought. "Not that we've actually been on a date yet, but I plan to rectify that situation very soon...if you'll let me." He directed the last part to Maya specifically.

Maya's sweet smile turned into a cheeky grin. She had waited for this day for a long time, and wasn't about to let Josh get off that easily.

"Joshua Gabriel Matthews, are you _actually_ asking _me_ out on a date?" Maya teased, sitting up straighter and folding her hands on the table. The group couldn't help but smirk at the situation. including Josh.

"Yes, Maya _Penelope_ Hart, I am." He retorted, wiping the smirk off her face. Maya had no idea that he knew her middle name, but she knew that whoever told him was gonna pay dearly.

"Who told you?" She questioned angrily as she slapped her hands down on the table, though she really wasn't that mad about it in actuality.

"I can't reveal my sources." Josh replied, clearly amused.

"Riley?" She inquired, turning to look straight at her friend.

"It wasn't me." Riley answered.

"Huckleberry?" Maya said, moving her gaze to Lucas.

"Nope." He smiled.

She then looked to Shawn, but before she could say anything, Shawn said, "Don't look at me, I didn't know your middle name until five seconds ago."

"Then who..." Maya started, then it clicked and she glared at Mr. Matthews. " _You_."

"It was an accident?" Cory tried, smiling innocently.

Maya just shook her head and said, "You just wait, I _will_ get my revenge, and it will be anything but an accident." She was giving Cory her best Cheshire Cat smile, causing him to edge his chair closer to Topanga and whisper, "Protect me!"

"Always do." Topanga hugged him, but not before she rolled her eyes.

"So..." Josh spoke loudly, gathering everyone's attention. "Now that you've cracked the case, will you please answer my question."

"What question is that?" Maya feigned confusion.

Josh shook his head and stifled a smile before responding, "You know what question."

"Hmmm..." Maya pretended to think about it. "I don't think I do. You better ask me again." Maya smirked.

Josh smirked back, then stood up and circled the table, coming to a stop in front of Maya where he went down on one knee and clasped one of her hands in-between his.

"Oh no, not you too." Cory muttered, only partially worried about what was going to happen next. He knew that these young couples weren't really going to get married anytime soon, but that didn't stop the marriage references from making his blood pressure rise.

"Maya Penelope Hart," Josh began. "would you do me the honor of going on a date with me."

Maya grinned and nodded, "Yes, I'd love to."

"Good." Josh said happily before placing a soft kiss on the top of her hand. Then the sweet moment got a bit sweeter and a lot more humorous as Josh jumped to his feet, raised their joined hands and yelled, "She said yes!"

Maya just rolled her eyes at Josh, while their table and the surrounding tables began to clap. Her face immediately flushed at all the attention, but Josh didn't seem to mind at all. He just threw her a wink and strutted cockily back to his seat.

Not long after, the waitress returned with a large tray and began distributing their food. Once they all had their meals, they began to chow down and chat aimlessly with one another. Cory, neglecting his steaming plate of lasagna, kept staring at Josh and Maya who were flirting across the table. All of a sudden, he felt a nudge at his side and looked to find Topanga staring at him thoughtfully.

"It's gonna be okay, you know?" Topanga spoke quietly, so no one else could hear. " _They_ are gonna be okay." She said confidently, patting his arm for reassurance.

"I know." Cory agreed. "I was just thinking about our high school year book... and that quote you put under your picture."

"And your picture." She reminded him. "What about it?" Topanga added, then took a bite of her ravioli.

"It's just always been one of my favorites," Cory noted. "and it seems oddly perfect for the moment, don't you think?" He questioned, then paused briefly to watch his younger brother talk and laugh with the blonde across from him. Cory half-smiled at the young couple before turning back to his wife. She mimicked his sweet smile as he began to recite the quote to her.

"I do my thing, and you do your thing." Cory started off.

"You are you, and I am I." She said as she intertwined their hands.

"And if in the end, we end up together..." He replied.

"it's beautiful." She finished.

Cory borrowed Josh's move and kissed Topanga's hand, then looked back at the young couple one last time and gave a curt nod as he repeated, "It's beautiful."

After they finished their dinner, the gang headed back to the Matthews' place for dessert, except for Lucas who had to get back to his family. Once inside, Topanga and Katy headed to the kitchen to prepare the cake and put on a pot of coffee, decaf for Katy. Everyone else lingered in the living room until Cory and Shawn shared a look, deciding it was time to give Josh "the talk."

"Girls, Auggie...can you give us a minute? We need to speak with Josh."

"Alone." Shawn added.

Auggie just shrugged, then headed towards his room to play video games. At the same time, Riley chirped excitedly, "Bay window, bay window right now!" Maya didn't get a chance to respond before Riley grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the hall. She was dying to know all of the details about Maya's kiss with Josh, so much so that she didn't give a second thought as to why they needed to talk to Josh alone and neither did Maya.

Once it was just the three of them, Josh took his beanie off, ran a hand through his hair, and asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Josh, my little protégé," Shawn began playfully. "step into my office." He said, gesturing to the window seat a few feet behind the living room couch.

"Yes," Cory agreed, pointing to the same spot. "bay window, bay window right now!"

The guys went and sat down, sandwiching Josh in the middle.

"So, listen..." Shawn hesitated. "You remember everything that I taught you about dating? All the tips and tricks I gave you?"

"Yeah." Josh smiled, remembering how well his advice had worked in the past.

"Well, now that you're dating Maya, I need you to forget all of it." Shawn stated in a serious tone.

"What?" Josh couldn't help but laugh as he spoke.

"I think what Shawn is trying to say is that Maya isn't like other girls." Cory amended.

"Exactly." Shawn nodded. "Maya's different, and we're not just saying that because she's my step-daughter."

"Or because she's Riley's best friend." Cory added.

"We're saying it because it's the truth." Shawn affirmed.

"The thing is," Cory went on. "Maya likes to act tough and fearless and like nothing bothers her, especially when she is feeling the exact opposite..."

"Yeah... she never has been one to wear her heart on her sleeve." Shawn acquiesced. "You see, after her dad left and her mom starting working all the time to make ends meet, Maya learned to take care of herself, and part of that involved hiding her feelings from others."

"Why would she do that?" Josh wondered aloud.

"It was her way of being independent." Shawn answered with a shrug. "And I know better than anyone that the longer you remain independent, the harder it is to open up about the things that really matter."

"Our point is," Cory interrupted. "You need to be patient with Maya, take things slowly, and really earn her trust.

"Guys," Josh said, looking between the two. "You know me, I would never do anything to make Maya feel uncomfortable... I would never hurt her."

"Maybe not intentionally." Shawn interjected. "But the thing about the people we care about is we never _plan_ on hurting them, or disappointing them, or making them cry...but, sometimes, it happens anyway."

"And though we can't always control whether we hurt someone, we can control how we react to their hurt." Cory explained. "So, be sure to take care of Maya, and treat her well."

"I will. I promise." Josh assured them.

"Good," Shawn nodded, then placed a hand on Josh's shoulder. "because if you don't, I'll kill you."

"Right." Josh began to laugh, but then realized that Shawn wasn't, nor was he even smiling. His face officially dropped when Shawn added, "I'm serious." Josh looked to his big brother for a little support, but Cory just looked nervous and shook his head up and down to show that Shawn was, indeed, serious.

Josh looked back to Shawn again, then gulped, feeling a little unnerved. Luckily, Topanga's voice rang out across the apartment just then, breaking the tension. "Time for dessert!" Suddenly, eager to get away, Josh hurried over to the table where a large chocolate cake sat, along with plates, silverware, and napkins.

Shawn finally broke his resolve, unable to stop his chuckle at Josh's reaction. He noticed Cory was smiling too as he turned to him and said, "That was almost _too_ easy." then patted Cory on the shoulder and rose to his feet. The two best friends then walked to the dining room together, joining their families for part-two of Maya and Riley's graduation celebration.

Josh ate his piece of cake silently as he mulled over what Cory and Shawn had told him. He decided he needed to have a serious talk with Maya before things went any further between them. So, that's how he found himself sitting in another bay window, this time the one in Riley's room, with Maya at his side.

"Is everything all right?" She asked, feeling a little worried. Maya was having a hard time reading the expression on Josh's face, so she wasn't sure what he was thinking or what was going to happen. Maya just hoped he wasn't regretting asking her out. She didn't think she could handle it, if Josh took his "proposal" back.

"Yeah, of course." He smiled softly. "I just wanted to talk to you, to clear a few things up."

"Okaaay. Like what?" She queried.

"I've realized that you may be a little wary of my motives, that you might not completely trust me."

Maya sighed. "Josh, I-"

"But you _can_." He cut her off. "I like you, Maya... _a lot_ , and I want you to know that I'm in this one-hundred percent." He added as he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers.

Maya couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips as he spoke. Her heart picked up speed, but she managed to keep her cool as she responded, "I'm not gonna lie, I may have been a little worried that you'd take back what you said before at the restaurant, but I can honestly say that I'm not anymore...and Josh? I do trust you. I always have." She squeezed his hand lightly to emphasize her words.

"Then you'll come to me, if you ever have any doubts? And you won't hide away your feelings from me?" Josh inquired.

Maya quirked a blonde brow and countered, "Josh, when have I _ever_ hid my feelings from you?"

"Good point." Josh said with a slight nod of the head as he thought back over the years to Maya's tendency to act like a nutball around him and call him "Uncle Boing."

"Where did you even get these ideas from anyway?" Maya questioned. "That I lack trust and have honesty issues and whatnot." She elaborated.

"It was just something Shawn and Cory said earlier..." Josh began.

"Wait... that's why they wanted to get you alone? To talk about me?" Maya asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Josh admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed.

Maya glared across the empty room at no one or nothing in particular as she conjured up a mental image of Shawn and Cory and ideas for the perfect revenge. "Daddy-Shawn and curly-top are _so_ going down." She vowed, causing Josh to laugh.

"You're cute when you plot revenge." Josh quipped.

"And you're cute when you tell me that I'm cute." Maya flirted back playfully.

Neither of them spoke for a few beats after her retort, instead they just sat their smiling at each other like love-sick idiots as Josh absentmindedly rubbed circles on her hand with his thumb. Eventually, Josh broke the silence as he wondered aloud, "So, are we good then?"

"Yeah," She smiled back. "we're good."

Josh sighed contentedly, then said, "We should probably get back to the party before someone notices we're gone."

"Yeah, we should." Maya agreed, though she figured they probably already had.

Hand in hand, the two of them walked across Riley's room to the door. Josh opened it with his free hand and was starting to cross the threshold, when Maya suddenly stopped him.

"Wait..." Maya commanded.

"What is it?" Josh asked, stopping to stare at her quizzically.

Maya didn't answer. Instead, she placed her free hand against Josh's chest and went up onto her tip toes to place a quick kiss on his lips.

"Okay," She said, pushing some blonde hair back behind her ear as a blush crept onto her cheeks. "now, I'm ready."

Josh grinned that adorable, boyish grin of his, lips still tingling from the touch of hers, then spoke softly as he said, "Thanks."

Maya cocked her head to the side in confusion. "For the kiss?"

"No...well, yeah...but what I really meant was thanks for waiting for me." He clarified, squeezing her hand tenderly.

"Thanks for being worth waiting for." She stated simply, feeling the happiest she had ever felt in her life.

They shared another warm smile, then finally made their way back out to the living room. As they approached their families, Shawn noticed their intertwined hands and tossed them a wink. Maya rolled her eyes , but couldn't help but think that he was right. Magical things _do_ happen after graduation.


End file.
